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The young ainst the fireplace A sudden restlessness possessed hiue-tied by the sense that their ht hear the wheels of the returning carriage

"You know that your aunt believes you will go back?"

Madame Olenska raised her head quickly A deep blush rose to her face and spread over her neck and shoulders She blushed seldom and painfully, as if it hurt her like a burn

"Many cruel things have been believed of ive me; I'm a fool and a brute!"

She smiled a little "You are horribly nervous; you have your own troubles I know you think the Wellands are unreasonable about your ree with you In Europe people don't understand our long Aements; I suppose they are not as calm as we are" She pronounced the "ith a faint eave it an ironic sound

Archer felt the irony but did not dare to take it up After all, she had perhaps purposely deflected the conversation from her own affairs, and after the pain his last words had evidently caused her he felt that all he could do was to follow her lead But the sense of the waning hour ht that a barrier of words should drop between theain

"Yes," he said abruptly; "I went south to ask May to marry me after Easter There's no reason e shouldn't be married then"

"And May adores you--and yet you couldn't convince her? I thought her too intelligent to be the slave of such absurd superstitions"

"She IS too intelligent--she's not their slave"

Madame Olenska looked at him "Well, then--I don't understand"

Archer reddened, and hurried on with a rush "We had a frank talk--aln"

"Merciful heavens--a bad sign?"

"She thinks itfor her She thinks, in short, I want to et away from some one that I--care for more"

Madame Olenska examined this curiously "But if she thinks that--why isn't she in a hurry too?"

"Because she's not like that: she's so eive her up for the other woman?"

"If I want to"

Madaazed into it with fixed eyes Down the quiet street Archer heard the approaching trot of her horses